Canada: POLITICS: The First Circus

This year, for the first time in their
history, Canadians will enjoy a show something like the political
performance that the U.S. puts on every four years. Last week Canada
woke to some unexpected facts: that all three major Canadian parties
will soon hold national conventions, that the two big parties will
choose new leaders, and that some months hence they will fight it out
in a national election. Nothing like it has happened before in Canada.

Canada's Liberals held their first national nominating convention in
1919before that, party leaders were picked in parliamentary
caucusand the leader they picked then has...